Reflection: Achievements and Outlook

I was deeply engaged in part 3 ‘Figurative‘ and part 4 ‘Looking out‘ with various subjects and parallel project works on my own in context of the course scope:

Part 3: Daily Self portrait paintings to sharpen my observation skills and to elaborate further the subject of ‘self-portrait’. Here I found the development of certain aspects e.g. object parts and movement towards cluster presentation hopeful

Part 4: Outdoor sketchbook as my personal encounter with the world around me. Here I found my practice of a daily interrogation and scaling up from quick and dirty gestural sketches to more elaborated sketches and eventually into larger painting quite successful – something that I also experienced during my first course Drawing 1. Still it need to be embedded deeper in my routine as an artist. I discovered the opportunity of the book format (sketchbook) as an artwork ‘even’ in painting.

Somehow I found the interior subjects most challenging, facing certain issues with too much attention to accuracy and loosing momentum on working with the painting as such. At times I was too self-conscious and premeditated my paintings too much.

Besides those subjects I am intrigued in painting as a process and process as a painting where the series of sequential painting steps did turn out to be engaging as a narrative and allowing the viewer to engage (e.g. Part 4 Project 1 Hard and Soft Landscape’). It was an eye-opener to possibly incorporate photography and collage in a meaningful way as e.g. in Part 4 Project 5 ‘Working from photograph‘.

Overall I found those parts as most encouraging and successful where I worked with the painting without knowing upfront the results (e.g. Part 4 Project 2 ‘Perspective’ or the underpainting of Assignment 4).

I enjoyed all experimental work, mostly in sketchbook, with layering and process driven, with a combined approach of chance and conscious strokes. I think time now to consolidate those into my personal project.

What need more attention from my side is “to retain a balance between more pre-mediated prescriptive projects with more process driven projects” (my tutor’s feedback on assignment 4) And to give my paintings a voice by its own.

Strong ideas from part 4 to possibly build upon:

Loose and expressive use of paint

Sequencing of paint application

Step separation of layers with monotype or photography reference

Not-control elements

Aspect of non-recognition (e.g. use of Mylar)

Process of painting as a serial approach

Outlook on documentation of painting as the artwork, painted images as support

The narrative informs a body of work, series of photos as a collage base for painting